Video Games: What Makes It Art?

[curiosblockland6]

I have already done a bit of research into this topic so I'll give my opinion on the matter. It will be pretty short considering I'm writing this on a phone.

In order to determine if video games can be called "art", we must first understand what defines art in the first place.
From Wikipedia on "Art":

"Fine art refers to a skill used to express the artist's creativity, or to engage the audience's aesthetic sensibilities, or to draw the audience towards consideration of the finer things."

It would be fair to say that a work of art is something that demonstrates the artist's creative prowess. It can also introduce the audience to some sort of aesthetic sensibility. If we look at an average blockbuster video game of today, such as Battlefield 4, it seems that there isn't as much charm or creative prowess going into these games. Yes, they have visual appeal, but if you've ever played them, they don't really fit the cut for what we would call a "work of art". These games were made to give the player an adrenaline rush during intense online action. But most blockbuster games today do have "story" modes, which are a bit closer to what I would call "art". They tell us a story, give us enthralling visuals and music, and have aesthetic appeal. Besides, this kind of story has probably been told before in many other blockbuster games, so it's pretty redundant to try to call it a new and innovative work of art.

If we really want to find a game that meets the requirements to be considered a true modern video game masterpiece, we've got to dig a bit deeper. I would consider many modern indie games to be works of art! They are made by a small group of innovative people (they are the artists). Many indie games were created in such a way that it'd be hard to say that they AREN'T artful. The game "FEZ" is a great example of this.

This game appeals to my senses in various ways. It's got an interesting story and inspiring artwork and sounds. It, among many other indie games, have definitely helped push the boundaries of what we consider to be a work of art. In my opinion, this game is downright beautiful, and I recommend it to everyone looking for an inspiring adventure.

I would write a little more here, but my thumbs are getting tired, as I'm writing this on a smartphone. I hope you got something out of my little ramble.

[Ad Bot]

[childofdarkness016]

-snip-

While I brought up the idea of how games are a "personal experience" and interpreted very differently by people, I'll see if I can look further into this guy.

-snip-

I have noticed that most of my examples are indie games. I really think that this applies to all art forms, at least the idea that the obscure, artsy stuff is usually more intellectual than the mainstream examples.

Anyway, the examples I chose are:

• The Stanley Parable, to elaborate on how games can give the player the choice to progress the narrative however they want, while still giving the developers full authoritative control over the narrative.
• Yume Nikki, to give an example of a game that has been interpreted and understood in so many different ways that, like Raph said, can be considered art.
• That Dragon, Cancer, despite the fact that A: I never heard of this game until I did a lot of research and B: It's not finished. This game was selected to disprove a really bad counter-argument I've read in some articles, which states that because most video games are made by a team of designers, you cannot have one person express their feelings in the same way you can with a book or painting. The game is made by a single person, and they made the game to help himself cope with his 4 year old son having cancer, just like how many people use other forms of art to cope.
• Bioshock (as in the first one), because it, in a mainstream game, creates commentary on Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophy and actually may make some people think in a different way.
• Papers, Please, for the reasons many of you have already stated.
• Mother 3, as it is an RPG, a violence-driven genre (obviously this example isn't as extreme as the above two games, which were brought up to counter the idea that violent video games are "bad"), that still has an extremely heartrending and well-written narrative.

I'm giving my speech on Monday, so I'll tell everyone how it went then. I don't have time to add more, but thank you for opening my mind a bit more!

[Nasoa]

LSD Dream Emulator and Cave Story are some more artistic games. I chose the 2nd option in the poll because a video game made as an artistic expression hasn't gotten the funding or the support. The nature of video games is that they require a team to make in which everyone wants their own ideas represented. Art is perfectly realized through an individual's dream.

[Camel]

is guernica not a masterpiece because it depicts death and violence ?

I never got the whole "is blah art" thing because, like the definition of art encompasses the fact that anything and everthiny can be art.

[childofdarkness016]

I never got the whole "is blah art" thing because, like the definition of art encompasses the fact that anything and everthiny can be art.

well not everything

a sport, such as baseball, cannot be art because there's nothing to interpret from it

[McJobless]

I think those examples work well. Good luck with the speech.

[Night Fox]

well not everything
a sport, such as baseball, cannot be art because there's nothing to interpret from it

you don't have to be able to "interpret" something from it for it to be art

[childofdarkness016]

you don't have to be able to "interpret" something from it for it to be art

well i guess a better way to phrase what i meant was

sports are not an example of someone's creativity or emotions

nor can they be

we usually interpret our emotions differently, which is why i believe all art can be interpreted differently

[Camel]

sports are not an example of someone's creativity or emotions

w

what

[McJobless]

well i guess a better way to phrase what i meant was

sports are not an example of someone's creativity or emotions

nor can they be

we usually interpret our emotions differently, which is why i believe all art can be interpreted differently

Honestly, I think sport can be considered an art. I absolutely hate physical activity, but it qualifies as an art form when you consider that most games don't have a single "winning strategy", and in many cases victory takes years and years of dedication, practice  and personal interpretation to figure out how to give the best performance.

That said though, one could argue that because sports are a closed medium (only involving the people performing the activity), and other reasons, they don't really qualify. Doesn't really matter, though.